Retaining rings and wave springs are used in various applications. Generally, a retaining ring may be used instead of fasteners such as threaded fasteners. For example, retaining rings can be positioned in a groove of a shaft to retain an assembly attached to the shaft. To illustrate, when a retaining ring is positioned in a groove, a radially outer portion of the retaining ring remains outside of the groove and creates a retaining wall extending partially or entirely around the shaft. This retaining wall of the retaining ring extending around the shaft can prevent an assembly that is attached to the shaft from moving beyond the retaining ring. For example, the retaining wall may prevent the assembly from sliding off the shaft. Similarly, a retaining ring may be positioned in a groove that is in the inner surface of a housing. For example, a retaining ring may prevent an assembly from moving beyond a certain location within the housing. When the retaining ring is positioned in the groove, a radially inner portion of the retaining ring remains outside of the groove and creates a retaining wall within the housing that prevents an assembly from moving beyond the retaining ring. For example, the retaining wall may prevent an assembly from moving out of the housing.
In some applications, a retaining ring may be used along with a wave spring. A wave spring may be used for purposes such as absorbing shock and maintaining a force between components. A wave spring is generally made by creating waves in a flat wire. For example, the waves may be created in a coiled flat wire. The spring effect of a wave spring is produced by the waves in the walls of the wave spring. Relative to a coiled spring, a wave spring generally requires less installation space, which enables smaller devices. The number of turns of a wave spring generally depends on the amount of force that the wave spring is expected to maintain as well as space considerations.
In some applications, a wave spring may be used to maintain a force between a retaining ring and an assembly that is retained by the retaining ring. Combining a retaining ring and a wave spring into a single component may be desirable to reduce component count and, thus, to reduce cost of manufacturing two or more components.